New Chelsea defender Maxence Lacroix has spoken about how his Christian faith transformed his life, saying Jesus became the "foundation" that has helped him navigate the highs and lows of professional football.

Lacroix, who completed his move to the Premier League club this week, reflected on his faith in an interview posted to Chelsea's official Facebook page.

"I didn't grow up in a Christian family but i really met Jesus some years ago and I changed totally my life, to walk totally like he wants," he said.

The French defender also noted that becoming a Christian had given him stability beyond football.

"It it was a beatufiul journey...the journey is not finished of course. But yeah, it's like the foudnation of my life," he said. "And this helps me every single day, every single moment because sometimes in football, you have ups and downs.. and it's really important to have something different than just human beings."

Lacroix added that his faith has also helped him through personal struggles.

"Jesus was the answer of all the questions of all the difficulties I had before. And yeh, this is why I'm so happy to make the journey with him," he said.

The 25-year-old joins Chelsea after one season at Crystal Palace, where he helped the club win the FA Cup for the first time in its history. He previously spent four years at Bundesliga side Wolfsburg after beginning his professional career with French club Sochaux.